Changing the world

Spring is also an important time for our nation’s youth. For many, it’s time to finish the school year strong and continue thinking about summer (and graduation) plans. I remember back in the day we took our time figuring out what the coming summer would bring, but today, those plans are well underway by the time March rolls around.

I’ve said it many times—and I’ll keep on saying it—it has never been a better time to explore a career in aviation. Just look at the numbers: According to Boeing’s annual outlook, we need 650,000 new pilots and nearly 700,000 new technicians to fly and maintain the global fleet over the next 20 years. We’ll need 127,000 new pilots in North America alone.

Our aviation industry needs talented and energetic men and women to fill our flight decks and technical shops if we are going to keep our shared passion for flying alive and strong for the long haul. I’m heartened that many of our friends and partners in the general aviation world, whether sister associations, type clubs, or airport-based groups, have programs to introduce and welcome young folks into this great world.

I am especially excited for the way our own AOPA Foundation High School Aviation STEM Curriculum has taken flight, as our curriculum has made a real difference for thousands across the country and a big impact in our vision of a strong aviation industry. What we do here is clear: provide high schools with a free and high-quality STEM-based aviation education curriculum and open the door to rewarding and well-paying aviation careers. And these courses are not just dry academic ones—they engage and teach by capturing students’ imagination and letting them soar (see “Fly With AOPA,” p. 100).

In talking to the program’s first classes of graduates, more than 60 percent say they are pursuing an aviation career.When I look at the impactful numbers of our high school initiative, I continue to be astounded. Consider that in just a few short years, we have engaged with more than 70,000 high school students across the country. In talking to the program’s first classes of graduates, more than 60 percent say they are pursuing an aviation career. That’s what I call real-world impact. I can’t wait to see how these young men and women advance through their careers and, quite frankly, change the world.

In this year, alone, we have 23,000 students in the AOPA high school program, serving more than 950 schools in 46 states and in Washington, D.C.

I’ve often said that one of the most rewarding and important parts of this program is that it introduces students to a potential aviation career who might not otherwise have the opportunity to see such a path. More than 40 percent of our program students are people of color, and more than 20 percent are female. We need inclusion in aviation, as it must reflect the larger society.

At the same time, we engage the teachers as much as we do the students. Whether it’s a series of train-the-trainer events across the country, our national high school symposium, or insightful resources, we ensure the educator never walks alone. I recently engaged with several teachers at a training event and, wow, these educators are motivated!

If you are a teacher, administrator, or even a high school student—especially if you are already in our aviation community—and think that our High School Aviation STEM program would be a great fit for you, give us a call. We’d love to talk and help you take flight.

Let me take a moment here to recognize another important group of friends—our generous donors that help fund the high school program through their generosity toward the AOPA Foundation.

I simply cannot wait for the day that I meet that young man or woman who is captaining my flight, and they tell me they got their start through our AOPA program. I know it will be blue skies that day.

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